Dear John,
In the last year, we have seen a dangerous escalation in rhetoric and policies that are deeply harmful to immigrants and refugees in our community. We’ve seen promises of aggressive deportations, funding cuts to essential programs, and executive orders that strip due process protections for immigrants and have ignited fear across the country. In fact, just in the last week, there have been alarming ICE enforcement actions in Northfield and Saint Paul. In response, we quickly opened our detention phone line to impacted individuals and families.
Still, amidst the turmoil, we continue to witness bright spots of hope and resilience that remind us why this work matters so much. Bright spots like working with:
Eduardo*, who began his immigration journey with a U-Visa application, a form of immigration relief available to victims of violent crimes. With the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota's (ILCM) advocacy and legal guidance spanning over a decade, he recently received permanent residency. After being separated from his daughter for years, he finally held her in his arms again this spring.
And Lucinda*, who told us she dreamed of becoming a U.S. citizen before she died. After suffering a massive stroke, Lucinda faced lingering memory issues that made it impossible for her to take the required English test. Despite the hurdles from United States Citizenship and Immigration Services we’ve been seeing across the board, ILCM was able to help Lucinda with the appropriate medical exemption forms to be able to take the naturalization test in her preferred language. She was able to achieve her lifelong dream of becoming a U.S. citizen last summer.
